


Oathkeeper

by BrokenSymphony



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Jon Snow is a Targaryen, Past Haunts, Revelations, jamie centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-16 18:35:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28835700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrokenSymphony/pseuds/BrokenSymphony
Summary: Now, the bastard boy staring so intently at the dragon in the middle of the night, it piqued Jamie's interest. Jon Snow turned, for a split second, his eyes looked a dark indigo rather than black in the moonlight and it knocked the breath out of Jamie's lungs.
Relationships: Brienne of Tarth/Jamie Lannister/Cersei Lannister (minor), Jon Snow & Arya Stark & Sansa Stark, Lyanna Stark/Rhaegar Targaryen (past), Tyrion Lannister & Jamie Lannister
Comments: 6
Kudos: 41





	1. Ghosts of past

**Author's Note:**

> It is a two short, a POV of Jamie when he comes to know the truth of Jon Snow.

Jamie was walking along the corridors of Winterfell, escorted by two Northern guards who looked at him as if he was a disease that must be wiped off from its roots. He had abandoned Cersei, much to his own surprise and relief, and had come here to pledge himself to the war against the Great Others. The sight of the moving rotten corpse, exhibited in kings landing still gave him chills.

He was made to stand in the court, the Unsullied didn’t care for his existence, all the Northern men looking at him with disgust, his brother tensed, and the ugly cunt stood motionless behind the Stark girl, a little worry framing her otherwise emotionless face. But all of it seemed to fade in presence of the two girls sitting before him, one fuming with unbridled rage and another simmering in cold fire, the dragon queen and Sansa Stark. 

Any ordinary man would cower under their gaze, but he was Jamie Lannister, king slayer, sister fucker, the most dishonorable man of the Westeros. So, he looked at them with all the arrogance of a Lannister, ticking them off further. The dragon queen started accounting all his crimes against her house, her voice laced with immeasurable hatred. And Jamie noticed the Targaryen queen for the first time.

Sure, he met her on the battlefield mount atop a dragon, but Jamie was busy fighting off the ruthless Dothraki and her destructive dragon. She looked like a younger version of queen Rhaella, she got all her beauty and grace. But the menace in her voice and the rage in her eyes, it was not Rhaella. Prince Rhaegar’s eyes burned with a fire too but his was intimidating not cruel. 

Perhaps she got it from her brother Viserys, Jamie thought. Jamie had no memory of the prince; the mad king didn’t let anyone near the boy. A pair of lilac eyes burning with malice and cruelty flashed in front of Jamie and he shuddered at the thought. “ _She is not her father. She is good. I can vouch for her_ ”, Tyrion’s words rang in his ears and he knew his brother was a good judge of character. So, he brushed away his thoughts.

In the meanwhile, Lady Sansa Stark spoke of his crimes against House Stark, angering the northern lords further, each one of them ready to chop him into pieces. But Jamie feared none, his crimes were too many, his honor damaged beyond repair, he lost everything he held dear and he was not here to seek pardon or plead mercy. He was here to fulfill the vow he made as a knight, to defend the people of the realm.

“We need as many hands as we can get for this war. What purpose could a dead man serve?” Brandon Stark spoke with an emotionless voice, his gaze fixated at Jamie. The memory of the day he pushed the little boy from the window, crippling him forever appeared in his mind. The boy lost all his memory, they had said but the way he was looking at Jamie, Jamie realized the boy remembered everything but chose to keep it hidden. But why, Jamie couldn’t understand.

“He is as good as dead, brother, what is a swordsman without his sword hand”, Sansa Stark was not going to hold back, she was no more the naïve girl who wanted to marry his horrendous son, Joffrey assuming him to be her prince charming. She is a fighter now, but her weapons were her words and her mind.

“It is not the time for seeking justice or taking personal vendetta. Every living person is important for this war”, Jamie Lannister turned his face to notice the man who spoke these words, Jon Snow, bastard son of Ned Stark, now the king in the North or warden of the North.

His brother, Tyrion tried to convince his queen and the stupid woman pleaded with Sansa to give Jamie a chance. Brienne of Tarth was everything that Jamie once wanted to be, and he despised her for reminding him of his failures with her near perfect conduct.

Finally, Sansa Stark relented, unable to cross her two brothers and break her knight’s heart. But the dragon queen, still displeased, stayed silent and left the court once it was done, with her hand, his brother trying to match her steps.

Jamie didn’t know how to feel about it, a Targaryen queen with a Lannister as hand, history repeating itself; he only hoped for the results to be less disastrous this time. He was walking among the corridors, watching the grey walls and stony floors of the castle. Winterfell was a rather plain castle compared to his home, Casterly Rock. While Casterly Rock’s grandeur closed on to him, burying him under its weight, Winterfell’s austerity made him feel liberated. Sound of soft yet confident footsteps made Jamie turn his head and he came across Jon Snow, again.

The boy wore a black tunic, a woolen surcoat loosely hung over his shoulders, hair tied back in a pony, if not for the melancholic expression on his battle-hardened face, he looked like the spitting image of Ned Stark. “Bastard of Winterfell”, words fell from his lips before Jamie could control them.

Jon Snow stopped in his tracks; the title didn’t hurt him anymore not like it used to once. “Jamie Lannister. I know it must not have been easy for you to abandon your sister. But thank you for joining us, we could use all the help we get”, Jon Snow’s reply shocked Jamie. He expected the boy to insult him with much more viciousness, now that his stature surpassed Jamie. 

Jamie searched for any kind of mockery or taunt in Jon Snow’s voice, he must look at him with the same contempt and disdain of his father. There was none, instead the boy’s voice had a tinge of respect, an emotion which felt almost alien to Jamie. “You don’t have to be kind to me, drop the pretense”, Jamie spat back.

“I am just repaying you back what you have given me three years ago. I was a green boy with his head full of fantasies and you were kind enough to tell me the harsh truth of the Night’s watch and killing in general, not even my father thought of telling me before sending me to that place”, Jon Snow was looking at the stables where he met Jamie.

Jamie had wanted to meet the bastard son of Ned Stark, see the only stain on his pristine white honor and get a little satisfaction by mocking him, when he visited Winterfell with Robert Baratheon and his sister. When he saw the boy, fourteen-year-old with innocent eyes and hopes of becoming an honorable warrior, Jamie ended up warning the boy of his cruel fate.

"During my time as the lord commander and the warden of the North, I realized that the difference between good and bad, honor and crime is a very thin line, often smeared by circumstances. A man's actions must not be judged by the stringent code of honor because the motivations behind those actions are not so simple to understand. I can't give you pardon for all your crimes, but what I can forgive, I have already forgiven ", Jamie was rendered speechless hearing those words. 

Jon Snow never acted out of honor, not that Jamie had heard, he was Ned Stark's son through and through, but the empathy and the understanding, the boy was showing him, that was not Ned Stark. 

"Your sister is right. I am of no significant use", Jamie showed his golden right hand, “I brought Lannister soldiers. They can serve your purpose better". "You don't have to be in the front line leading the army to play a pivotal role in the war. You were one of the finest swordsmen in Westeros, serving alongside great knights and generals. Train these men and women, participate in battle strategies ", Jon Snow spoke, his charcoal eyes filled with compassion and wisdom. 

_“When I come back, I am meant to call a council. Changes will be made. It’s not good to speak about the roads not taken", Lilac eyes filled with compassion and wisdom flashed in front of him, eyes of a certain dragon prince._

Jon Snow gave Jamie a curt nod and left from there and Jamie stared at the boy's retreating form till it disappeared before his eyes. Jamie came down to the training yard, the memories of Rhaegar Targaryen cutting fresh wounds into his already bruised heart. 

He must admit the North men are a tough lot, so much has happened in the past few years still they survived and are preparing for the battle. He saw men, women and children old enough to hold a blade being trained, Sansa Stark looking into the food supplies, Bran Stark at the window looking far off into horizon. 

Metal clashed against metal, two skilled warriors going against each other in a dance of steel and Jamie watched it silently from the side lines. The hound and Arya Stark, what an unorthodox duo, Jamie felt. The hound was clearly the stronger opponent, his frame towering over the scrawny girl, but her skill was no less than his. 

It was Braavosi style of fighting, Jamie could see that in her moves but what scared him was the look in Arya Stark's eyes, like a wolf watching her prey. There was a difference between a warrior and an assassin, warriors were trained to defend their people and assassins were trained to kill their targets. 

Arya Stark was an assassin, a cold blooded one and it will be no wonder, if she sneaks into his room and slits his throat in a split second, Jamie mused over the thought. Arya Stark tricked the hound to yield, she had a small grin on her face, and he had a little proud look in his eyes. "What, the dog thinks himself as some kind of mentor to the Stark girl", Jamie guffawed. 

Jamie was taken back to the memories of his daughter, Myrcella. How there was no judgment, no disgust only love and acceptance in her eyes for him. He held her in his arms many times as an uncle but as a father he held her only once. It had been the most peaceful moment of his life, only for his daughter to be cruelly ripped away from him the very next minute. 

Willing to push away all the pain eating him from inside, he joined Brienne in training the wildlings, the North men would never learn from him. Most of his time passed in sharpening their attacks, strengthening their defense stances. It was tiring but fulfilling too. 

Jamie was sitting in the corner, almost dissolving himself in the shadows during supper and he was content with it. His brother, Tyrion was with his queen discussing something. Jamie made up his mind to fight in the war against the long Night, but he was not sure about supporting Daenerys in claiming the throne. 

The Unsullied and the Dothraki followed her, almost worshipping her. She freed many slaves in Essos and Varys and his brother seemed quite sure about her ability as a ruler. But something in her unsettled Jamie, rubbed him off in wrong ways. His brother's stiff and tense posture added to that feeling. A Hand must always be alert but not tense in the presence of his king/queen.

He tore a piece of meat and a loaf of bread, started chewing slowly. He noticed the Stark children breaking the supper together. Arya Stark almost clinging on to her brother Jon Snow, in the moment she didn't look like a bloody assassin but a little sister who is extremely fond of her brother. 

"Cersei and I were inseparable too, latching onto each other but our relationship was a lot less pure", Jamie thought bitterly. Arya Stark showed something to her brother, her face had a wolfish grin, eyes twinkling with mirth. 

Jon Snow seemed to recognize it, perhaps a fond memory of their childhood and his face broke into a warm smile, a tender expression forming on his solemn face. 

" _Father, look at this. Princess Rhaenys showed a parchment to her father, Rhaegar. Something was scribbled on it in high Valyrian, the prince's face broke into a warm smile, a tender expression forming on his solemn face. He lifted the little princess, placed her on his lap and gently corrected the mistakes in her writing. The prince's eyes in the brief moment held more warmth and love for his daughter than Jamie got from his father, Tywin in his 15 years of life_ "

Little Rhaenys was a sour spot in Jamie's life. When prince Rhaegar went missing and princess Elia and Rhaenys were brought to court, Jamie used to take her for evening walks in the red keep's garden. She was a little bundle of energy, her laughter echoing throughout the place. And when Jamie saw her body, stabbed half a dozen times, covered in Lannister cloak on the day of the sack of kings landing, Jamie wanted to puke. 

Being a Lannister felt heavier than being kingsguard to Aerys. He hated himself in the moment for not going to the princess after killing the mad king. He despised prince Rhaegar for leaving his wife and children to vultures for the bed of another woman. 

Over the years, his hatred for the dragon prince faded. His incestuous relationship with his sister was no less dishonorable than the prince's alleged affair with Lyanna Stark. The guilt for not protecting Rhaenys stayed, buried deep. 

He gulped down a glass of ale hoping to bury down his thoughts. The past was too painful to revisit. "I envy them", Tyrion spoke, taking a seat next to Jamie, his eyes looking at the Stark children trying to enjoy the supper with their friends and supporters. 

“They have endured a lot and they deserve to be together and happy but it hurts when I think about ours", Tyrion's words were true. House Lannister, the wealthiest house of Westeros is in shambles. Good things eventually happen to good people, his family was anything but good, still Jamie hoped that there is something even for a family twisted and broken like his to hold onto after this long Night. 

The buffy redhead man who is ogling at Brienne every now and then started humming a tune, a northern song and the other lords joined in it. Perhaps this was their way to keep their nerves under control, Jamie thought.

"Her voice has always been so melodious", Tyrion mentioned when Sansa Stark started singing, his brother's voice was unusually soft, his eyes unwavering from the Stark girl. 

Tyrion and Lady Sansa were married, a sham marriage never consummated. It seemed to Jamie that his notorious brother has tender feelings for this soft wolf girl; she indeed brought out the best version of him. 

A hoarse almost shy voice reached Jamie's ears and his eyes shot up to see the bastard trying to sing a song. His lords encouraged him, Arya Stark had a small smile tugging at her lips, Sansa Stark barely holding back her laughter, Jon Snow was no means a singer, and he could barely hold a tune. 

Then there was it, a deep sense of loneliness and melancholy in his voice and Jamie was transported to the times when he heard prince Rhaegar sing. "Why is the bastard son of a Stark reminding me so much of a dead Targaryen prince?” Maybe the Targaryen queen and his brother, Tyrion becoming a hand reminded him of the days of the old. Jamie thought and left from the place to clear his head. 

"I wish to meet him, please understand", Jamie saw a man of very thin and short stature speaking to the guards outside the court. "

The king is busy", was the curt reply. "The matter is very delicate and confidential. I must share it with Lord Snow", the little man almost begged and suddenly Brandon Stark appeared out of thin air and ordered the guards to let the man in. 

Jamie was unable to sleep; he tossed from one side to another. The dragon queen and the bastard king stirred a lot of memories in him, painful and unwanted. He pushed himself up, threw a cloak over himself and walked in the direction of the training yard. 

Jamie saw a silhouette of a man in the corridor, his body became alert, and he drew his sword and walked silently towards the man keeping himself mostly to shadows. A pair of red eyes, red like fire turned towards him, fur as white as snow shone through the moonlight. "Ghost, bastard king's loyal dire wolf", Jamie recollected. 

Jamie approached the man, but kept a respectful distance between them. The man was none other than Jon Snow, his shoulders drooped, and his face held a whirlwind of emotions, pain, hurt, anger, accusation and Jamie turned his head to see who was on the receiving end of such raw intense unbearable feelings. 

It was the green dragon soaring aimlessly in the sky. "Rhaegal, the queen named it after her elder brother", Jamie remembered Tyrion mentioning it when they saw Jon learning to ride the dragon in the morning. 

It made little sense to the Lannister brothers how a Stark, a base born rode a dragon. In the wake of the impending doom, having two dragon riders was better than one, so Jamie brushed it aside.

Now, the bastard boy staring so intently at the dragon in the middle of the night, it piqued Jamie's interest. Jon Snow turned, for a split second, his eyes looked a dark indigo rather than black in the moonlight and it knocked the breath out of Jamie's lungs. 

Jamie tried to see it again, to confirm it was not a figment of his imagination, but the boy's eyes were black. Jon Snow didn't seem to notice Jamie; the boy looked beaten and broken. He retreated to his chambers, with his loyal pet silently trailing behind, leaving Jamie in an abyss. 

"Who is this boy?” Jamie asked himself for the first time. 


	2. Return of a kingsguard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tyrion's posture stiffened, "Still I fall short of you brother in such accomplishments. What are you - disgraced knight, traitor, sister fucker? I lost count".
> 
> "He is not as bad as the stories describe him", Jamie didn't know why he wanted Jon to have a positive image of Rhaegar. 
> 
> “Always eager to serve. Father would be so disappointed”, Cersei’s mocking voice rang in Jamie’s head

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted Jon to be war with himself and at the same time, a sense of peace settling upon him when he gets to know the truth of his parents. Like, he found where he belonged but the act that created him in the first place were not honorable. 
> 
> Leaving the prophecy shit aside, if there is any man in the whole of Westeros knew how weak and stripped of honor can love make a man, it is Jamie Lannister and perhaps, he is the only one who can speak about Rhaegar Targaryen with Jon.

It was not often that Jamie found his little brother at loss of words, gaping mute at the sight before him, Tyrion always had a word or two to say even in the most precarious of situations. Tightening the cloak around his body, Jamie came and stood beside his brother. The dragon queen was muttering commands in High Valyrian to the green dragon that seemed reluctant to follow her. One moment, she was gentle and persuading and in another she was upset and demanding. The black dragon landed beside his mother, visibly disturbed by his brother's strange behavior, the flapping of his giant wings almost knocked the breath out of Jamie's lungs. He stumbled backwards to put a safe distance between himself and the black beast. 

The black dragon seemed to pick up his rider's mood, he edged closer to his brother and growled menacingly, forcing the green dragon to bend his will according to their mother. Though scared, the green dragon tried to resist the alpha's command. Watching a petulant child arguing with his mother is an endearing sight. But not when the child is an actual fire breathing dragon, Jamie mused.

"Don't compel him, Dany", the Lannister brothers turned their heads to look at the source of the voice. Tyrion tensed in his place, an almost tangible tension settled between the dragon queen and the king in the North. " Weren't they a thing?" Jamie was confused now. Jon Snow seemed tired, dark bags under his eyes indicating his lack of sleep and Daenerys eyes were shooting arrows. She ignored Jon's presence and continued commanding the green dragon. 

"You are forcing him. You need not do that. Rhaegal is your child, his loyalty lies with you", Jon tried to bring the situation under control. Right from the moment he flew with Rhaegal, Jon developed a bond with the green dragon. Rhaegal was like Ghost in many ways, only the intensity of his moods was thousand-fold more than that of his silent companion. And Jon was able to pick them up. Rhaegal's reluctance to accept Daenerys as his rider, his dilemma was enough to drag Jon to his knees, the emotions, the conflict were like a raging fire. He approached the dragon and tried to comfort him by nuzzling his neck. Rhaegal purred under his touch. 

"I don't need your guidance on how to handle my children, Jon Snow. I birthed them. I know what is best for them. Don't forget your place. I am your queen, you bent the knee remember", Daenerys spoke, her voice full of arrogance. 

A menacing low howl accompanied with a roar heard in the background. The white wolf and the green dragon stood on either side of Jon Snow, barring their teeth at the queen and protecting their master. Queen Daenerys seemed taken aback. She tried to touch Rhaegal, reconnect with him but the dragon remained ensnared. Lord Snow slowly turned his face and his cold eyes met her shocked ones, his one hand gently placed on the green dragon and the other digging into the soft fur of ghost, anger clouding his entire frame. He spoke in a barely controlled voice, "we have a war to prepare. Let us not pit against each other to satisfy our egos and endanger all the people who put their faith in us".

Jon Snow's eyes burnt with a restrained fury and Jamie knew that look. The look which can make people cower in fear and bend their knee, it belonged to the last dragon, Rhaegar Targaryen. A wolf on the left, a dragon to the right, resilience mixed with a tempered fury. "A Stark bastard as regal as a Targaryen royal", Jamie's eyes glued to the scene enfolding before him. 

Daenerys visibly upset, clenched her fists and walked towards Drogon in long strides. She mounted the black dragon and flew into the sky. Jon Snow dropped his head with a defeated look. No one seemed to understand the simmering tension between the two leaders. Though curious, Jamie didn't bother himself with the details of the conflict.

"I am a knight sworn to defend. I will dedicate myself to that task alone", Jamie made a mental note of it and receded to his chambers to get ready for the training. Soon, he got busy with his mundane duties of training the wildings and trying to bring order to the troops. 

Afternoons are the most pleasant times in the North, when the sun is at its peak and one didn't need to stack himself in layers of clothes to prevent freezing. Jamie ate his lunch alone in silence. His eyes kept darting back to Lady Brienne, she was the sworn shield of Sansa Stark and hence her place was closer to the nobles. Jamie being a traitor and dishonorable man sat with the minor lords. Jamie went to his chamber to get some rest; the north was a harsh place. 

"Missed me, brother", Tyrion's sarcastic voice welcomed Jamie into his room, but there was a grave undertone to his voice, which didn't go unnoticed by his older brother. 

" You have been drinking heavily from some time", Jamie was concerned for his little brother. Although Tyrion could make his way out of everything, Jamie noticed that something was eating away Tyrion. 

"I am the queen's hand, brother. I have a lot of things to worry about. Drinking clears my head", Tyrion's answer was diplomatic. 

" Worry? ", Jamie gaffed at the response, " What can probably trouble a man who can kill his own father and run away without remorse? " Jamie knew Tyrion was mistreated all his life and their father deserved a crueler fate than one given to him, but he still could not forgive Tyrion for doing it.

Tyrion's posture stiffened, "Still I fall short of you brother in such accomplishments. What are you - disgraced knight, traitor, sister fucker? I lost count".

The brothers fell silent. Jamie poured himself a glass of wine and slouched on the bed. Both knew that the world will never show them mercy, will never allow them to forget their crimes and they need not cut each other deeper with words. 

"What do you know about Lyanna Stark, brother? " Tyrion's question made Jamie turn his head, his eyes clouded with confusion. 

"She was rather plain. There was nothing special about her, not that I could remember. But prince Rhaegar left everything for her and Robert could never move on from her", Jamie tried to conjure Lyanna's image in his mind from the vague memories of Harrenhal’s tourney. 

" Do you think Robert's accusations were true? Did prince Rhaegar really kidnap her and rape her? " Jamie didn't like the direction in which Tyrion was taking this conversation. The rebellion was too painful to recollect. He stayed silent for a long time. 

"Honestly, I don't know. Prince Rhaegar was a good man. He didn't have a single blemish on his honor until Lyanna Stark's fiasco. He would treat even a prostitute with kindness and respect, abduction and raping woman are too much. But desire is a dangerous notion. It can bring out the worst monster even in the best of men".

“And Ned Stark siring a bastard?” Tyrion kept prodding. 

Jamie let out a sigh, “Unless all these dead lords and ladies have been raised from the dead and discussing them would somehow give us a strategic advantage in the upcoming battle, I don’t see why I have to ruin my afternoon answering your utterly useless questions.”

“Not the battle with the dead but if the secrets hidden by these dead men potentially cause another war?” Tyrion felt heavy from the moment the truth was revealed to him. It was too delicate to disclose to others, but he desperately needed his brother’s opinion in this matter.

Jamie raised an eye-brow, “I am a knight, brother. Riddles are for you and swords are for me”.

Tyrion knew there is no point in digging further. “Apparently, the man who called himself, Howland Reed, was with Ned Stark when he visited Lyanna for the last time. According to him, prince Rhaegar and Lyanna were in love and she was pregnant when he left for war. She died in her brother’s arms due to birthing complications requesting her brother to raise her new-born son as his to protect him from Robert who was on a Targaryen murderous rampage”.

Tyrion chuckled seeing the absolute dumb expression on Jamie’s face. When he heard the truth for the first time, his mouth was left open in complete shock. 

“So, Jon is …”, Jamie couldn’t complete the sentence.

“the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark. His real name is Aegon Targaryen, the sixth”, Tyrion gladly finished the sentence, winking at his brother, and raising his wine as a toast and gulping it later in one go.

“Wait!! Jon is a true-born?”, Jamie was on his heels now, pacing down the room, trying to connect the dots, jumping to conclusions in one moment and turning to questions in another. Rhaegar was too noble to violate a woman; Arthur Dayne wouldn’t have been somewhere else while his best friend was facing the biggest fight of his life unless it meant ... Now, everything was making sense. The three kingsguard were protecting the unborn child. 

“The prince married Lyanna in a secret ceremony by annulling his marriage to his first wife, the details of which are recorded in Citadel by a maester faithful to prince Rhaegar”, Tyrion filled in the details and I sent an envoy to get those documents to validate the truth of it.

“Annulment? Isn’t it forbidden by the faith?” The information was too much to process for Jamie, his mind was whirling and hopping in circles. 

“He was a fucking Targaryen, brother. When did dragons listen to anyone? What do they say, dragons bow to no one, not even to gods”, Tyrion’s reply was bitter. His heart went out for Jon when he heard the truth. Created by love and thrown into the world to live as a cursed bastard.

Jamie started laughing hysterically. Sure, it took two bottles of wine for Tyrion to wrap his head over the fact, but this was the least expected reaction from his brother, and it intrigued him.

“Jamie, are you well?” Tyrion’s voice was considerate. 

Smiling, Jamie looked at his brother, “Oh yes, I am. I killed the mad king and stopped him from setting kings landing on fire. Yet, I was tagged a traitor, a disgraced knight. Ned Stark raised a Targaryen prince right under the nose of his best friend and king, Robert and he was deemed as the most virtuous man in the realm. He made a fool of all of us. Robert should have been here. I would sell all the gold in Casterly Rock to see the priceless reaction on his face”.

It was Tyrion’s turn to join in the laughter. “We have more pressing matters to discuss. We can ask Robert about his feelings when we meet him in our afterlife”. 

Jamie became alert now. Jon being a Targaryen complicates matters. “How many people know?”

“The Stark kids, Jon, Daenerys and me, now it includes you”. Daenerys is in denial. She is not ready to even give it a benefit of doubt, but Tyrion can see it clearly. The documents from Citadel are just a written proof to solidify the truth for him.

“And how did they take the news?” Jamie was now able to understand the changes he observed in the demeanor of Starks and the Targaryen queen. Lady Sansa’s wary looks, Arya’s protective gaze and the tension between Jon and Daenerys.

“Well, Sansa started plotting in her mind on how to use this information to their benefit, the girl, Arya is unfazed, Jon remains her brother no matter what.”

Jamie gave a genuine smile, “The girl is fiercely loyal and protective of her brother, Tyrion. Such loyalty is rare to find.”

Tyrion nodded, “Bran, he is devoid of any emotion and Jon, he is quiet. Given the amount of suffering he had to go through as a bastard, it is understandable”.

“And queen Daenerys?” Jamie felt it in his bones that she didn’t take the news well. 

“I wouldn’t lie. She is troubled. She thinks it is a ploy to take what is rightfully hers”, Tyrion was disturbed by the news too. Another Targaryen, a male heir coming into picture weakens her claim, but her rigid denial is not the right way of handling the situation and as her hand, it is his duty to do it right on her behalf. “Her reasons are valid though. The truth was revealed by a man loyal to Starks, confirmed by Bran and Samwell, Jon’s brother/cousin and best friend”. Lies came easily to Tyrion when it was about Daenerys, his queen.

“Yet you seem clear, brother. You believe in it”, Jamie didn’t have to look at Tyrion to know his brother was trying to cover up for his queen, as a dutiful hand should.

“No one apart from people with Valyrian blood were able to ride dragons, as far as my knowledge which is pretty much when it concerns dragons. Rhaegal wouldn’t have accepted Jon as his rider if not for his dragon’s blood”, “Ah!”, look at the irony, brother, “Jon riding a dragon named after his father Rhaegar”, reality hitting Tyrion hard. “The boy doesn’t have a single Targaryen trait that is the only setback to this almost fairy tale theory”, Tyrion was freely letting his opinion out, gulping wine shots one after another. 

“Well, take the boy near a man who knew prince Rhaegar well. And ask them whether the boy has zero Targaryen resemblance”, Jamie liked this. 

Usually it was always Tyrion with his vast knowledge and big head that had answers and now it seems Jamie had an upper hand owing to his connection with the people during the rebellion.

This was the last thing Tyrion wanted to hear, “Does he resemble his father?”, Tyrion inquired. 

“Oh! Too much”, Jamie replied, a small smile playing on his lips.

A sudden knock at the door, made the two Lannister brothers turn their heads and Podrick was standing at the doorway. 

“Queen Daenerys has summoned you, lord Tyrion. She is waiting for you in the crypts along with the Stark family”, Podrick’s words made the hair on Tyrion’s back bristle, he felt something was going to happen, something terribly upsetting for his queen and he nudged his older brother to pad along.

By the time the Lannister brothers reached the crypts, some northern masons were digging under the grave of Lyanna Stark, Jon standing right next to it, his expression pained, Arya clinging to him, rubbing his hand in comfort. Lady Sansa was curious and Bran as usual was blank. Tyrion hurriedly searched for Daenerys who stood at an arm’s length from the Starks, almost merging herself into the shadows. Paranoia and mistrust burned in her lilac eyes and Tyrion wished he could ease her mind.

All the people let out a collective gasp when the mason retrieved a box with a Targaryen seal from the grave. “Our father, Eddard buried it as per our aunt’s request”, Bran mentioned in his flat voice. The seal was broken, Sansa and Arya moved forward to check in the belongings, Jon stood rooted to his spot, Tyrion peeking in unable to contain his curiosity, Daenerys spiraled further into stress. 

There were documents with Targaryen, Martell and Stark sigils, proving the annulment and remarriage. Sansa passed them over to Tyrion and he exchanged a look with his brother before throwing glances at both Jon and Daenerys. 

“Is this the one?” Sansa held a withered crown with dead petals and though Jamie knew what she was asking, he decided to keep silent, “I was not there. I don’t know”, was his curt reply.

Arya disclosed a thin blade, and she held it across the light to get a better view and Jamie stumbled backwards in shock. “It can’t be”, he muttered in utter bewilderment. He grabbed the sword from Arya’s hand and examined it. It was black with ripples of red, Valyrian steel and Jamie drowned under the weight of its legacy. 

“It is Dark Sister, the infamous sword of Visenya Targaryen”, he said it almost like a prayer. The sword was legendary, first yielded by Visenya during the conquest of Westeros then passed onto Aemon, the dragon knight, the finest swordsmen and kingsguard in the history and was lost during the Dance of dragons, only to reappear in the crypts of Winterfell.

Arya’s eyes gleamed in wonder and she took the sword from Jamie to confirm it on her own. She fancied Visenya Targaryen when she was a child and she spoke with almost childish excitement, 

“Jamie Lannister is saying the truth. It is, indeed, Dark Sister. Now, it is yours, Jon. Go on, hold it”, and she extended the sword towards Jon who reluctantly took it and swirled it in his right hand.

Almost for a split second, Jamie noticed a smile forming on the boy’s face, a pride in his eyes and it dropped as soon as his eyes met with Daenerys who receded further into shadows. Now, it was Sansa’s turn to give Jon what she found, a silver brooch in the shape of a dire wolf and a golden chain with the Targaryen sigil.

Arya removed a thin veil and there lay the silver harp of prince Rhaegar almost intact except for the metal scratched at the edges, and a few broken strings. Sansa Stark held the instrument with tenderness and her eyes were full of fascination, “It is beautiful”, words slipped out of her mouth.

And then there are these, Arys Stark pushed two letters into Sansa’s hand who carefully opened them, years of neglect destroyed the quality of paper. She held them against the light and started reading them, each resonating with the truth revealed.

_Dear father,_

_Worry not, for your daughter is safe in the arms of her beloved. In a tourney, I met him and amidst chaos, I had wed him. The wedding was like a rushed dream, but the promises made were real and true, as true as the ones you had with mother. As I embark further south with my husband, conspiracies still rage on, but soon, when matters are under control, I will come home and will explain everything to you._

_Your little wolf_

_Dearest Benjen,_

_I wish you were here to tell me that things will get better soon, for I am fading, brother. I cry myself to sleep over what has befallen our family and my husband. I am trying hard to be brave for the child I carry beneath the heart that still beats for his father, but I am failing miserably. Father is right, Starks don’t fare well in the south and I long to come home, to you and Ned. Stay strong, for I and our brother need you more than anything now._

_Your sister and best friend_

  
  
Each word pricked like a needle in Jon’s heart. What started as a promise of love and togetherness ended in death and sorrow. Sansa gave them to Jon; her eyes were sympathetic. Jon clutched the letters close to his heart, agony swimming in his dark eyes and face convoluted in pain. Clinking of heels was heard from a distance, Daenerys withdrawing to her chambers and none dared to look in her direction. 

Melancholy etched onto every inch of his face; Jon looked at his mother's statue with a yearning almost impossible to bear. Jamie forced himself to look away because the melancholy and the odd glow, the fire casted on Jon made him look like Rhaegar and Jamie's heart constricted in pain. 

"Please bring the box and the remaining items to my chambers. Reconstruct the destroyed piece in my mother's tomb, Sansa, if you could see to it, please", Jon's voice was barely visible, words choked in his mouth. " I will", Sansa squeezed Jon's hand in reassurance and Jon quietly left from there. 

Daenerys locked herself in her room for the rest of the day. No amount of persuasion from Tyrion was able to get her out. When Jamie suggested to Tyrion to give her time, "I need to know what is going on in her mind", Tyrion's answer scared Jamie. 

On the other hand, Jon seemed to disappear into oblivion, even his white wolf was missing. Rhaegal was growling in restlessness. With each passing moment, Sansa and Arya were worried about his well being and Bran assured them that Jon is safe and will come back home. 

The day was exhausting but sleep was far off. Jamie wanted to make sure that Jon is safe, for reasons unknown to him. He kept tossing from one side to another. Sighing as he woke up, draping a woolen cloak around his shoulders, he decided to go to the training yard and wait for Jon to come back to castle. He needed to see the boy safe and sound to get a good night sleep. 

As if the gods had heard his prayer, Jon was in the training yard, sitting by the fire, the golden chain with Targaryen sigil dangling between his fingers. Jamie wanted to leave, now that the boy is in the castle, but something held him back. 

"He is not as bad as the stories describe him", Jamie didn't know why he wanted Jon to have a positive image of Rhaegar. The boy must have heard only vile stories about his sire, courtesy Robert who slew everyone who tried to speak good things about Rhaegar. Jamie somehow felt Ned Stark never tried to make Jon connect with his parents, especially his sire. 

"Still his actions brought the demise of his house and almost ruined another", Jon quipped back without even looking up. 

"His actions are unforgivable and the results disastrous. But try to extend the level of empathy you have for your mother towards your father too", Jamie didn't want to defend Rhaegar, heck there is nothing in the world that could justify the prince's actions after the destruction they brought upon the realm but he didn’t want the prince to be ignored by his only living son. 

"My mother was fifteen, a naive girl who grew up in a secluded North, unaware of southern schemers, forced into a betrothal to a man she barely knew, a man whose reputation for whoring precedes before every other thing", Jon was incredulous now, his voice high pitched. "How dare he, to advise me about my parents? " Jon thought. 

"Your father was twenty three, a soft hearted man who wanted to be a minstrel, forced into the role of a prince even before his young shoulders could bear the weight, had to tackle a paranoid father and a king who used fire more than words, a broken mother, stillborn siblings, high lords who backstabbed at every opportunity ", Jamie could hear Cersei’s laughter at the back of his mind, “naive brother, your attempts are futile, the boy already has a father figure in Ned, why would he spare a thought for a sire who died even before he was born”, and he ignored her words. 

"A prince who was supposed to be better than his mad father", Jon didn't know why he wanted to put the whole blame on Rhaegar Targaryen. His sire paid the price for his mistakes, in fact more than that should have been. Still Jon could not come to accept that man. 

"Just like your brother, Robb was supposed to handle things better than his father, Ned Stark", Jamie knew what the boy was trying to do. Blaming his father and victimizing his mother, so that he could forgive her and stick to Ned Stark, as his father. 

"Aye, Robb made terrible mistakes, jeopardized his and his bannermen’s life. But no one would have expected Lord Frey to betray him in the most gruesome way. He is not solely accountable for all things that went wrong", Jon defended his brother, though he will never forgive Robb for his poor handling of affairs that almost wiped off House Stark, he would never turn his back on him, especially after his death. 

"Doesn't the same apply to your father, Jon?" Jamie knew he cornered him. "His actions definitely sparked the rebellion, but what about your uncle Brandon's reckless reaction of demanding the prince's head, mad king's paranoid decree to burn the Stark Lord and heir, Ned Stark's blind loyalty to Robert and ignorance to his sister's wishes, my father's greed", Jamie's voice was almost a whisper by the end.

  
Jamie knelt on his knees, his hand resting on Jon’s shoulder to extend comfort, “What I ask of you, Jon is not to disregard your sire completely. You have every right to be angry with him, disappointed in him but don’t push him away. He will cease to exist if you don’t acknowledge him. You are all that is left of his legacy”. 

“He has Daenerys”, Jon was still resisting it but his defenses weakened with every moment.

“And all they got in common is their Valyrian looks”, Jamie stated. 

“I don’t even have that. Nothing can connect me to him”, Jon sighed. It clicked Jamie; the reality hit him like a lightning bolt. He can play the anchor between Jon and Rhaegar. He can earn his forgiveness from the dead prince through this.

“Yes, you have. More than you know”, Jamie’s reply made Jon’s eyes wide in disbelief. 

“In the first glance, you look like a spitting image of Ned Stark, but on closer inspection, one can see the Targaryen features in you. The melancholic brooding expression you hold all the time, let me tell you, your father is a master of it”, a sad smile passed on Jon’s face, his expression softening with every detail, his heart trying to picture a man with Valyrian features and a sad forlorn expression. “The compassion that goes beyond the boundaries of honor, the cold restrained fury that can pin down the bravest of men, all of it is undeniably your father. The tenderness and concern you have for a wild wolf girl, who clings onto you every time, I suppose your father had it too for your mother”, Jon was getting relaxed now, the truth started settling in his mind and it scared him, it shifted the whole axis for him.

“To acknowledge him, I must accept my lineage, Ser Jamie. I have finally made peace with being the bastard son of Lord Eddard Stark”, Jon stated as a matter of fact, but he was looking at Jamie for guidance. 

Jon, the lord commander of the Night’s watch, the man risen from dead, the king who is going to lead them in the war against the Night king, looked at him like a lost child , Jamie saw the seventeen year old boy behind the battle hardened king in the North, the boy who craved for mother’s love and father’s appreciation.

“Accept it, it is who you are. You can run from it as much as you want, but you can’t escape it. Sure, it will come back and haunt you”, Jamie knew that it is hard to accept that your entire life was based on a lie, even though the lie protected you from all dangers. 

“Sansa and Bran want me to press my claim. Ser Davos wants me to keep it hidden so that I can still command the loyalty of North and Daenerys, …”

“What do you want, Jon?” Jamie’s simple question made Jon silent. He stared at Jamie with a blank expression, mind racing between confessing or holding it back. Then he decided to let it all out. He somehow felt Jamie can understand his plight more than anyone.

“I …”, Jon fumbled, took a deep breath, “I wish to meet my parents”, Jon confessed, and a lone tear escaped his left eye. “I want to ask them whether they regretted it at the end, their love, me for the price they had to pay and losses they had to suffer. I always pictured my mother to be a high-born lady just like Lady Catelyn, only much more beautiful and kinder. I wish to see if it was true. I want to look into my father’s eyes and see whether he was proud of me just the way Lord Stark always felt proud of Robb. I yearned to get that look from Lord Stark, to acknowledge me on par with Robb all my life”. The boy looked broken and defeated, the truth rattled him to the core making him emotionally frazzled. Still, his vulnerability was full of grace, the Targaryen in him shining through the rigid Stark look. 

“Hey ...” Jamie leaned forward and squeezed Jon’s hand. “Your mother is a stranger to me. But from the tale I heard, as she bled to death, she only worried about your safety and nothing else. She fought for you till the end and that speaks volumes of her love for you. As for your father, he would have loved the very worst of you till oceans are dust. Both of them, wherever they are must be looking down with pride for the man, the leader their son had become”. 

Jamie’s words were like a balm to Jon’s bruised heart, dousing the flames of yearning and pain. “I always felt incomplete in Winterfell. I thought it was because of my bastardy. I wished I was a Stark, I wanted to hold Ice and give justice, sit on the ancestral seat of Winterfell and rule as lord Paramount. I wanted what belonged to Robb. I thought it would make me feel complete, like I am home and I hated myself for desiring it. Now, I have all of it, but still something was amiss. Something I couldn’t pin down until I flew with Rhaegal”. 

“The dragon in you trying to reach out to you”, Jamie gave a look of understanding and he tried to picture how he would have felt if one half of him was taken away from him, denied any sort of connection with it and it made him feel terrible.

“Longclaw was a generous gift from Ser Jeor Mormont when I saved his life. I tried to do right by the sword, and it saved my life many times. But it never felt like it belonged with me. It belongs to House Mormont”. 

“And you felt the sense of ownership when you held Dark Sister in your hands today”, Jamie finished the sentence and Jon nodded his head in guilt.

“Don’t feel guilty about it. It is yours by birth right”, Jamie didn't know why the boy is trying so hard to deny what belonged to him. Any other warrior would have jumped at the prospect of just holding the legendary sword once. 

“Daenerys, she is hurt and feels betrayed, I saw it in her eyes”, Jon recollected the anguish swimming in her eyes when he held the sword. 

“What will she do if you hand it over to her? Hang it on a wall as a relic for she is not a swordsman to wield it”, Jamie couldn’t warm up to the dragon queen not like the way he felt with Jon. She triggered too many unwanted memories of the mad king and Jamie wanted to stay away from her, from everything connected to her.

“Daenerys bore the flagship of House Targaryen from the moment Viserys died, and her dragons were born. She was the only living heir and she thought it was her right to reclaim what was taken from their house”, Daenerys' reaction troubled Jon the most. Time again, he heard her saying how lonely she felt as the only surviving member of House Targaryen and how she wished someone from her family was alive and when the truth came out, she wished it to be a cooked-up story. She refused to give any weight to it.

“Now your existence challenges her belief. And it unsettles her. Let me tell you the truth, Jon. Your claim surpasses her, and your father is still very much loved. People will flock to you when they hear the truth”.

Jon held Jamie’s hand interrupting his sentence, “I pledged myself to queen Daenerys in exchange for her support against the Night king. I intend to honor it”, Jon spoke with a finality in his words. 

“A vow you made when you didn’t know your real identity. It was a necessity as king in the north, you needed her to defend your people. Now you are the king. You command her”, Jamie didn’t want the realm to fall into the dragon queen’s hands. 

“No, ser Jamie, if I am indeed a Targaryen prince, then not just the north, I am responsible for the safety of the entire realm. All the more reason to negotiate with Daenerys. No need for another civil war”, Jon’s words made Jamie proud. 

He would make a fine king, Jamie thought. 

“And Daenerys is capable. I saw the good in her when she risked her dragons to save me and my troops”, Jon tried to defend Dany stating the reasons which made him bend the knee in the first place.

“And she has a darkness, a dangerous one. One she shouldn’t be pushed into. You are afraid of it, so is Tyrion”, Jamie knew what the dragon queen was capable of, why Lady Sansa is trying to keep her out, Jon and Tyrion trying hard to keep her happy. She didn’t have wildfire, but she has a huge dragon, who can destroy cities at her command.

“Everyone carries certain darkness within them, Ser Jamie. I am afraid of mine more than hers”, Jon didn’t want to speak about Daenerys with Jamie. The golden knight was not at all in favor of her. Though Jon sometimes felt it too, the unbridled rage to destroy everything that crossed him, he feared it unlike Dany who thrived in it.

“Enough for one day, Ser Jamie. I thank you for your kind words. I want you to keep it a secret until I get clarity on what to do with it”, Jon rose from his place and clasped his cloak, “And if I wish to know about him, I will seek your chambers”, Jamie didn’t need Jon to explicitly mention who he was referring to. 

Jamie rose from his place. The wheels in his head are kicking him to speak. From the moment, Tyrion spilled the truth, a long-lost hope resurfaced in Jamie’s heart, the one command he truly wanted to follow and miserably failed in his life. He got another shot at it and he didn’t want to miss it this time.

“Jon, if I may speak”, Jamie’s voice stopped Jon in tracks who was receding to his chambers, clueless he turned around. 

“Always eager to serve. Father would be so disappointed”, Cersei’s mocking voice rang in Jamie’s head, “I am not your puppet anymore, sister”, Jamie moved forward, “I failed your father, Jon. I regret not protecting your half siblings. I should have rushed to them after killing the mad king instead of sitting on the throne. I couldn’t forgive myself for that. Now that you are here, I can redeem myself by serving you, protecting you, if you have me as your sworn shield”.

Jon was dumb struck. He never thought about Jamie Lannister, the golden lion of Casterly Rock, serving him as a guard, not even in his wildest dreams. Once the initial shock faded, Jon spoke, “If it is a Targaryen, you wish to serve to repay for your failures, Daenerys is there.”

“No, I don’t wish to serve a Targaryen royal. I wish to serve the last living son of a prince, I promised to obey. Trueborn or otherwise, it doesn’t matter. You are his flesh and blood and that is enough for me”, Cersei was laughing hysterically now in the background, “You have lost your mind, brother. Why would anyone take a kingslayer as a sworn shield?” her words instilling fear in his mind. He desperately wanted this chance, to get rid of the guilt in his heart. “I know I am not the fighter that I used to be and my deeds as a knight are far from honorable. No king would ..”

“Kneel Ser Jamie Lannister before I change my mind”, Jon’s words caught him by surprise. He knelt, his head bowed in reverence, hands shakings, legs trembling under the gravity of the moment.

Jon drew Dark Sister from the scabbard, touched Jamie’s shoulders gently with it. Unshed tears glistened in Jamie’s eyes, recollecting the last time, he knelt before Ser Arthur and prince Rhaegar, to take his knighthood.

“In the honor of …”, Jon’s voice was calm as he said the words, but for Jamie everything was a blur. Cersei’s voice faded in the background. He felt like the green boy of fifteen with his head wrapped in the notion of great deeds and honor. The words were spoken, and the oaths were made. 

Jamie’s heart was pounding loudly, he didn’t rise from his place, afraid he would faint and embarrass himself. Jon put his hands around Jamie’s shoulders, and he lifted him up. His face was kind, his eyes compassionate, a pleasant smile formed on his full lips. Jamie saw prince Rhaegar staring back at him, through Jon, with a proud smile. Tears spilled from his eyes, the heavy burden of guilt finally lifting off his chest, “No, good Ser”, Jon hugged Jaime. Jamie leaned into the embrace, finding his rightful place in the world finally.

Off, at a distance from a dimly lit corridor, Tyrion felt happy for his brother, tears threatened to fall from his eyes. Lord Tywin had many dreams were his eldest born, but Tyrion knew Jamie wanted it simple, to be a knight, a protector. His brother finally found his purpose in life. The worries are for another day, tonight calls for a celebration, he thought. The happiness clouded his judgement making him ignorant to the anger and paranoia emanating from the queen beside him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jamie, Robb and Rhaegar are my favorite characters in GoT. They were flawed men, their actions/inactions brought demise to many people, and perhaps Rhaegar was worst of all. Robb and Rhaegar can't be brought back, Robb lives through his Stark lines and may be, Rhaegar deserves to be at least remembered in a good light by his only living son.
> 
> Rotten tomatoes are welcome. Drop a like or comment, even criticism is well appreciated.

**Author's Note:**

> Jon in my story is as much a Targaryen as he is a Stark. I wish Jon to be Rhaegar's son, as there were enough children left to carry forward Ned Stark's legacy.


End file.
